


It's A Feeling Like This

by nerdwegian



Series: Tumblr Prompts [14]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bakery, M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-20
Updated: 2014-05-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 22:32:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1664927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdwegian/pseuds/nerdwegian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Your new blueberry muffins need more berries," Clint says, as he walks behind the counter to help himself to the freshly brewed coffee.</p>
<p>(Tumblr prompt: Phil owns a bakery and Clint rents the room above the shop.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's A Feeling Like This

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Laura for the beta.

Phil's just gotten behind the counter again when the doorbell chimes and Clint walks in, morning paper and a book tucked underneath one arm.

"Morning," Clint mumbles, still half asleep as always.

"Morning," Phil says. He's been awake since 4 a.m. but he doesn't understand why Clint's always the first in the shop when he's clearly not a morning person.

"Your new blueberry muffins need more berries," Clint says, as he walks behind the counter to help himself to the freshly brewed coffee.

"Thank you; I'm so glad I have your culinary expertise," Phil says, groaning internally. Clint does have a good sense of these things, and Phil knows that he'll be adding more berries to the muffins within days.

"You love me anyway," Clint says, before he sips the coffee and closes his eyes in bliss, groaning loudly. "Oh my god, that's the stuff." He continues making sex noises as he walks to his regular table, getting a pencil out and settling in with the crossword puzzle. Phil busies himself with arranging the sugar cookies, and pretends he isn't half hard in his pants just from the noises Clint's making.

"Coming through," Maria says as she exits the kitchen, carrying a tray of brownies. "That's the last of it. I'll start decorating the cake for the Millers in a couple of hours. They're not picking it up until this afternoon."

"That's fine," Phil says, "thank you, Maria."

Maria slides the tray into the display case, and then pauses, glancing from Phil to where Clint's sitting in the corner, looking gradually more awake as he drinks his coffee. "Still haven't found your balls and stopped being a chicken, I see?"

"Maria," Phil hisses, because the shop isn't that big, and if Clint's paying even half attention, he can easily hear every word they're saying.

He's saved from further embarrassment by the door opening again, and Maria gives him a nasty smirk as she disappears back into the kitchen.

Phil ignores her, and instead focuses on the first customer of the day: a young woman who looks hungover and sleepy.

"Hi," Phil says, "welcome to Lola's Bakery, how can I help you?"

"Do you have Wi-Fi?" she asks, which wasn't what Phil was expecting.

"Yes, we do, for our customers," he explains.

She sighs in obvious relief. "Oh good, I'll have the biggest coffee you've got, then," she says, squinting at the menu board. "Also, can I get a blueberry muffin and a bagel with cream cheese?"

"Don't get the muffin," Clint says from the corner, not looking up.

The woman turns to look at him, and Phil frowns. "What?" she asks.

"Don't get the muffin," Clint says again, still filling out his crossword puzzle. "They don't have enough blueberry in ‘em. Try them next week, they'll be better then. Get the banana nut instead, those are great." Finally looking up at her, Clint raises an eyebrow and adds, "Also, if you ask Phil nicely, he'll make you an egg sandwich special on one of his French rolls. You look like you need hangover food."

The woman looks a little perplexed, but when she turns back to Phil, there's a hint of a smile on her face. "Guess I'll do that," she says easily. Phil rings her up and gets her food. The egg sandwich isn't on the standard menu; that's something he normally only makes for Clint, but Phil likes making money, and when the woman bites into it and looks like she's just found heaven on a French roll, Phil feels pretty confident that he's got a new repeat customer.

The morning rush picks up shortly, and Maria has to come out from the kitchen to help Phil man the cash registers. Through it all, both the woman and Clint stay at each of their tables, Clint reading, and the woman with her laptop. When the rush finally dies down and there's a slight lull, Clint gets up and walks around the counter to refill his cup.

Maria leans on the counter next to Phil and elbows him in the side, hard. He grunts with the impact and scowls at her, but she just rolls her eyes at him, before heading back to the kitchen.

Phil watches as Clint goes back to his seat, and then considers. Clint's been renting the apartment directly above the bakery for almost six months now, and been a regular at Phil's bakery for equally as long. Phil has spent approximately five and a half of those six months coming up with a long list of excuses for why asking Clint out is a terrible idea. Maria insists they're all bullshit.

Phil takes a deep breath and rubs at the sore spot Maria's bony elbow left in his side. It's been over a year since his last relationship. Maybe it's time to get back on the horse?

Walking around the counter, Phil approaches Clint's table. Clint's book is apparently about pirates this month. He's got a thing for trashy romance novels, and Phil has tried (and failed) to not find it hopelessly endearing.

"How's the book?" Phil asks, sitting down across the table from Clint.

"Captain Gable is falling for the Duchess, but he won't admit it," Clint says, tsking.

For a split second, Phil isn't sure if Clint is genuinely answering his question, or if Clint's making a dumb jab at him, but then Clint turns the book so Phil can see.

"Look at this shit," Clint says, finger pointing to the passage he's referring to. "She calls him a gentle soul, and he gets all touched and shit, and he still thinks there's nothing there?" Clint sighs and turns the book back around. "Oh, Captain Gable, you blind fool."

Fondness swells in Phil's heart as Clint shakes his head at his book. He looks handsome and scruffy in the morning sunlight coming in through the windows, and Phil smiles and says, completely without thinking, "I want to kiss you."

Clint freezes, eyes locked on the pages. Phil freezes, heart leaping into his throat.

For a long, tense moment, they just sit there, and Phil resists the urge to run and hide in the kitchen, where Clint knows he's not allowed.

"Can we—?" Phil starts to say, intending to finish the sentence with, _forget I said that?_ but then he realizes that's not what he wants.

Slowly, Clint's eyes raise to meet Phil's.

"What I meant to say," Phil says, slowly, "was, will you go out with me?"

Clint's face is carefully blank as he asks, "Like, on a date?"

Phil nods. "Yes. On a date."

When Clint doesn't immediately respond, Phil starts feeling terribly ridiculous, but then Clint smiles and puts down his book. Instead of answering, however, Clint pushes up from his seat, braces his hands on the table and leans across it to press a quick, dry kiss to Phil's lips. It's a tiny kiss, over in a second, but it still leaves Phil dazed and happy.

"I'll pick you up at six?" Clint asks, sitting back down in his seat.

Phil resists the urge to reach up and touch his lips where Clint kissed them, and instead smiles widely. "It's a date."

End


End file.
